This and That, Fall Edition

Quaint shops to tempt us. 

Good Day to You, Gentle Reader,

How is your fall progressing?  Twice now, we've had to cover our delicate plants.  I realize it is just putting off the inevitable, but for right now, with the bright, sunny, warm-enough days, I am attempting to prolong the growing season. 

I heart old barns. 

Just today we enjoyed a red cabbage and some cherry tomatoes in our salad.  The tomato plants are in fact, so full of green tomatoes, that I am soon planning to pick them all and attempt to ripen them in a sunny window. 

Beautiful lake we found while on a stroll. 

Fall camping is another pleasure that we are hoping to extend, although, this past weekend's trip was canceled.  We are not rugged enough to sleep in our pop up camper in temperatures in the 30's without a heater!  We have one more trip planned for my birthday in eleven days.  I am eagerly watching the low temperatures.  We can go if they stay in the 40's. 

A house that I love. 

Speaking of eleven, we purchased eleven jars of apple butter from our favorite orchard this weekend.  Their apples were destroyed by frost this past spring. Thankfully, the apples they used to make the butter were from last year's harvest.  We bought their last jars.  If I had known, I would have gone earlier.  Next year, they will have a call list, the nice lady informed us.  We'll need to get on that list! 



*Pictures are from some day trips taken this past weekend. 

Let's Talk RV

The Christmas before last, my family was blessed beyond belief with the gift of a beautiful pop-up camper.  We wanted one for a couple years.  But because we are committed to being debt free, it was not in the budget.  We love our camper, don't get me wrong, but I see a day coming when the kids are off on their own, perhaps, that we will want something easier to set up.

For one thing, we aren't spring chickens.  A pretty funny thing happened to my husband when he was outside playing with our youngest son the other day.  A little neighbor boy asked if he was our son's grandfather!  Ouch!  He's only 46! OK, a lot of grandfathers are 46, now that I think of it.

Thankfully, my husband works out and is pretty strong for a guy with a desk job! (Thank you, Honey!)  But, cranking up a camper and getting it all settled is going to get old when we are 10 years older.  So, in the back of my mind, I think about RV's.

I think about the travel trailer kind, mostly.  I have ruled out the monster class A and the fifth wheel.  I want something that our Jeep could pull.  I want to be able to back it in and not worry about it.

We've been to a few RV stores.  I like the smaller travel trailers.  The Airstream is my dream travel trailer, but I don't have to have one to be happy.  We did see one at a RV dealer that needed a ton of work.  We're not handy people, so we would have to look for a restored one.

Last fall we were camping at our favorite park and there were a bunch of Airstream owners all camping together.  It was pretty neat.  I wanted to ask to tour them all!  I bet they would have let us, but I am too shy to ask!  (Silly me! )

I do have a ulterior motive for wanting a travel trailer.  I want to be able to visit my future grand kids often, if they are living far away.  I am not naive enough to think my kids will live close to us forever.  I want to be able to take my grand kids camping, too.  I want to pick them up and give their tired, worn out parents a break. 

And just once I'd like to drive all the way around Lake Michigan with my sweetie.  We'd need a little nicer camper to do that.  And if worse comes to worse, meaning I don't get my dream house, we can park our RV in one of our kids' yards and live there without being too much of a burden!  Call it my retirement plan!